Korea Box Office: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Dominates as ‘Zootopia 2’ Holds Strong

James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continued to dominate the Korean box office over the Dec. 26–28 frame, grossing $8.6 million from more than 1 million admissions, according to KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The film has now amassed $32.5 million.

“Zootopia 2” remained a powerful No. 2, adding $3 million for the weekend and lifting its cumulative total to $50.3 million. The sequel has now crossed 7.4 million admissions, cementing its status as one of 2025’s top-performing imported animated releases.

Opening in third place was the South Korean romantic drama “Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight,” which debuted with $1.2 million. Directed by Kim Hye-young and based on the novel by Ichijo Misaki, the film stars Choo Young-woo and Shin Si-ah in a bittersweet high-school romance centered on a girl with anterograde amnesia whose memories reset each morning. The film has earned $2.5 million in its first five days.

Japanese animated release “Crayon Shinchan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers” followed in fourth, grossing $773,000 for a running total of $1.8 million.

Local family title “Pororo the Movie: Sweet Castle Adventure” placed fifth, adding $147,000 to reach $1.2 million. Comedy-drama “The People Upstairs” continued its steady run in sixth, pushing its cumulative haul to $3.6 million. Directed by Ha Jung-woo and starring Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Dong-wook, Lee Ha-nee and Ha Jung-woo himself, the film follows a downstairs couple driven to exhaustion by constant noise from their upstairs neighbours. A tense dinner meant to resolve the issue quickly unravels into an evening of sharp confessions and shifting dynamics.

Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck” opened in seventh with $43,642, while “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” added $38,622, bringing its total to $1.5 million.

Rounding out the chart were Japanese anthology features “Tatsuki Fujimoto 17–26 Part-1” and “Tatsuki Fujimoto 17–26 Part-2,” which earned $44,274 and $44,473 respectively.

The top 10 films collectively grossed $14.02 million over the Dec. 26–28 weekend, slightly down from last weekend’s $15.2 million.